This invention relates generally to prefabricated wall paneling and building assemblies made therefrom, and more specifically to such paneling having polymeric in-situ foam core, located therein.
In addition to conventional stick framing, a variety of pre-fabricated wall panel structures exist in the prior art to take advantage of the benefits of pre-fabricated wall paneling such as factory controlled assembly, quality and labor savings in the field when assembling a building such as a home or other structure. Examples of such prior devices are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,109,436 by Berloty; 4,628,650 by Parker; 5,353,560 by Heydon; and 5,765,330 by Richard.
The prior art also includes pre-fabricated wall panels sold by the applicant which are substantially the same as the invention disclosed and claimed herein except that the struts are made of standard 2 inch by 4 inch nominal lumber (i.e., 1½ inch by 3½ inch actual cross-sectional dimension). As such, the overall panel thickness was approximately 4½ inches. The present invention takes advantage of these prior art advantages except that the overall panel thickness is only 4 inches total, including the struts and the two 2 generally rigid sheets on either side of the struts. The present invention provides excellent strength and thermal insulation characteristics while being a thinner and specialized thickness compared to its predecessor product. This facilitates faster and more cost effective installation because standardized window and door jambs may be mounted in predetermined locations, pre-fabricated into the panel and/or building assembly while being flush with the panel when a sheet of drywall is secured thereto. Other cost and transportation efficiencies result as well.